Praying for a Disease?

I never thought I would say this, but I have been praying earnestly for weeks that Bailey has Cushing's Disease.

He went in to the vet four weeks ago to have a big lump on his knee checked. It was a seroma, a non-painful sac of fluid caused by pressure when he rests his weight on his left knee with his foot out behind him. I thought it would be nothing major and was relieved to be right.

While we were there that day, his vet said that she had just had an unusual case where a dog had been unable to walk and they thought it must be a neck injury. The dog had tested negative for Cushing's several times before but consistently had an elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALKP) level, and something made Dr. VM do another Cushing's test. It came back positive, they started the lysodrine treatment and the dog is walking again.

Bailey has had 2 previous Cushing's tests two years ago due to his ALKP being elevated for about three years now. The first one was "probably negative" so I had her do another test and the result was negative. Two days after we were there for his knee, I dropped him off and they did another test. This one came back suspicious for Cushing's and the endocrinologist at Auburn suggested doing a different test. I took him in last week (to our vet, not Auburn!) and they drew blood every two hours in hopes of catching it if it is Cushing's.

I'm still waiting (anxiously) to hear the results of the second test and praying that it will be positive, that Bailey has Cushing's and not DM, and that the Cushing's will respond to treatment. Two years ago when we had our first Cushing's scare, I never thought I would be praying for him to have it. Of course, back then I had never heard of degenerative myelopathy. Cushing's is treatable so I will take it any day over something that we don't even fully understand and cannot cure.

Just chillin'

Drinking in bed . . .

It has been a year . . .

I can hardly believe that it has been one year today since Bailey was diagnosed with degenerative myelopathy. And what a year it has been! On April 4th last year, I wasn't sure if Bailey would still be with me today. The neurologist was vague that day about a time frame, which I now know was probably because the progression of the disease varies greatly with all dogs. For some reason though, I just knew he would be paralyzed or gone after 9 months. Praise God that it has been 12 months and he is still with me!

The disease has definitely started to take its toll on him though. His walk has gotten much worse in the past few weeks. His back left leg is almost devoid of muscle now. He sometimes drags it along as he walks because he is unable to bend it. Other times, he stands up tall and even runs if he is in a playful mood or chasing away the dreaded UPS truck. He is starting to wag his tail less than usual, but he does still wag it when his mommy comes home! He often uses it more for balance now, held low and swaying back and forth when he is unsteady. I think his bark has changed, but not as drastically as I expected. It may be a little hoarse or a slightly higher pitch, but he still sounds like the guard dog that he is.

On the positive side, he is still getting around on his own, only occasionally needing help from me. He still pulls toys out of his basket and plays with them. He loves to stay outside for an hour or more when the sun is shining and a breeze is blowing. I take a blanket out and when he has finished patrolling the yard, he comes and lies down on the blanket and contentedly watches the world go by. He still sleeps in my bed at night, though I had to put my mattress on the floor and move the box spring out. He also still does all of his bodily functions on his own, which we are both very glad about!

And, as if DM was not enough, he has also, in the last year, dealt with the horrible lesions on his face, lesions in his ears, a rash on his belly, and a UTI, all of which are problems of the past, thank goodness! His face is perfect again, though his chin keeps getting grayer. His ears are healing. His belly rash cleared up quickly thanks to daily Benadryl, and the UTI was knocked out with antibiotics.

Today definitely brings on a mixed bag of emotions. It hurts to remember receiving the news that day. It hurts even worse to see the diagnosis coming to fruition as he has more and more difficulty getting around. But this year has also given us lots of time together, with long walks at the park, sitting side by side in the sunshine, lots of snuggle time, extra hugs and kisses.

Thank you, God, for 365 days I wasn't promised with my sweet, sweet baby. Thank You for 365 days of coming home to a wagging tail and an exuberant bark, for 365 days of falling asleep with him beside me, for 365 days of his continued mobility and positive attitude.

And one year later, Bailey walks on . . .

Bed Hog

Can you guess how much sleep mommy got this night?

Bailey will be auditioning for the next Trail Mix Crunch cereal commercial soon . . . He just has to figure out how to get UNDER the covers!

The Many Faces of Bailey

I have been meaning to post about Bailey's face for a while now. The internet is finally working at home again, so it should be easier to update now.

I just wanted to praise God for healing Bailey's face. Here's what it looked like about a week after the bumps first appeared:

Here it is at its worst (following the biopsy which made it much worse):

And here's how his adorable and perfect face looks now:

Thank You, Abba, for using the cyclosporine to take away the awful bumps and the pain they caused. Thank You that my Bailey's face is healed and that the hair has even regrown!

I'm an aunt!

R K P

Born December 29, 2007

8 lbs. 2 oz. ~ 19 inches long

Absolutely perfect!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

TWELVE!

Today is Bailey's twelfth birthday! Happy birthday, my baby! It is so hard to believe that 12 years have passed since the night my friend called and told me that the long-anticipated puppies had been born! When I first went to see the puppies, I chose one that was black with white spots and was going to call him Colby. Later, my friend told me that they had mixed up the genders on all of the puppies so the one I had chosen was actually a girl. My mom had said I could only have a boy, so I went back and chose the cutest little chocolate brown fur ball. They were calling him "Fudge" then but he was destined to be my Bailey. And what an amazing twelve years it has been!

I decided to come up with 12 of my favorite Bailey memories in honor of his 12th birthday, so here they are in no particular order. I was going to find and scan pictures to go with some of this but didn't get to it yet. Hopefully I will add them next week.

1. Bringing him home. He was the first to leave his litter and cried all the way home. I kept calling his name, trying to reassure him, and then realized that he didn't know his name yet!

2. While eating his first meal at his new home, he stood with his back legs stretched way out behind him. It looked like he was still expecting the other puppies to be crawling all around and trying to eat at the same time.

3. Snuggle time. When he was younger and still allowed on the furniture, sometimes he would sit next to me and press his face against mine and snuggle. Those were such sweet, loving moments!

4. His tennis ball trick. He will lie in the floor and play with his ball for a minute. Then he rolls over on his back, holds the ball in his raised front paws, lets the ball slide down his legs, onto his chest, and turns his head sideways and catches the ball as it rolls off his chest. It is absolutely one of the most adorable things he does and he gets so excited when he does it perfectly.

5. One night I was watching Deal or No Deal and playing the Lucky Case Game. I was trying to decide which case of the six to guess. Bailey was lying in the floor and I facetiously asked him which case I should choose. His response: Woof! It amazed me because I had not told him to speak and hadn't done anything to provoke a bark from him. So I asked him again which case I should play. His response: Woof woof! Again I asked and his response was Woof woof woof! By now I was very amused and asked him again. His response: Woof woof woof woof! When I asked him the next time, he barked 4 times again but the last time I asked him, he barked 6 times!!! He basically counted to six but left off one bark for the #5! My mom was there so we have a witness! The dog is too smart...

6. When he was on the home-cooked diet and I jokingly asked him if he wanted to change back to dry food, he stood up, looked right at me, barked three times, and left the room. He made his point! "NO DRY FOOD!" (He's back on the dry food now because we were scared a food allergy might be causing the sores on his face.)

7. When I bought him a new toy and tested the theory that dogs can use process of elimination. I had read an article and wanted to try it myself. I gave Bailey the new toy without telling him its name and allowed him to play with it until he lost interest and left it. It is a Blue's Clues plush toy so I named him Blue. Later, I lined up 5 or 6 toys, all with names he knew well except for the new one. I had him sit a few feet in front of the toys and told him, "Go get Blue!" He walked over to the toys, sniffed down the line until he got to Blue, then grabbed it and brought it back to me. Brilliant!

8. For a long time, he hated for anyone to clip their nails. If he heard someone cutting their nails, he would bark, run to them and whine and try to take the clippers away. I guess he figured if he hated to have his nails clipped, we must hate it also. He still does not like to be around if I am clipping my nails but he does not react so strongly now.

9. Bailey loves to play hide and seek! He will run all around the house looking frantically for the hider and then run away when he finds you, like he is waiting for you to hide again.

10. Once on America's Funniest Home Videos, I saw a clip of a man and his dog outside and the dog was doing the craziest thing. He would jump up, grab a tree branch in his mouth, and slide his mouth down the limb, stripping the leaves off of it. He did this over and over again and was just going wild! Well, once again, I used my dog as a guinea pig. When we were outside later, I pulled a limb down and shook it and Bailey ran across the yard to me and did exactly the same thing, jumping up and grabbing the limb and stripping the leaves off. He absolutely loved this new game! One time when we were doing this, he grabbed more than the limb and I still have a scar on my right index finger as a reminder! Needless to say, that was the end of that game.

He also loved playing in the leaves when we would rake them and make big piles.

11. A couple years ago, Bailey thought one of his new toys was named Happy Birthday! I gave him either Turtle or Lady Bug that year, and I told him "Happy Birthday!" over and over again throughout the day. By the end of the day, anytime I said it, he would go and get his new toy and bring it to me. That was pretty cute.

12. I guess he has always been demanding. He would jump up on the bed with a toy and play with it for a while. When he enevitably dropped it off the bed, he would bark for someone to hand it to him. What can I say? I know he's spoiled, but I also think he should be!

Tonight he will get his birthday "cake" and presents and mommy will take lots of pictures and video which I will share next week.

And by the way, MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!

Vet Report

Bailey starts on the cyclosporine tonight, and I am praying like mad that it will clear up whatever is on his face and help with his walking. We really only expect it to help his face, but I'm praying for more. The vet said today that she thought his face was still pretty painful, though at home he only seems to mind if I touch it directly on one of the spots and then he simply pulls away. She also asked if she could do some xrays of his spine to see if maybe the problem with his legs really is something in his spine that needed time to develop enough to be seen on the xrays and MRI. Of course I said she could but they did not show anything. She also drew blood to do a full panel and check his thyroid. She really feels like whatever is wrong with him has not been diagnosed yet and is probably autoimmune and that the problem in his legs is probably related to the problem with his nose. I don't know what to think anymore. I wish someone had the answers and the cure!

We both cried while talking about him and I've been a wreck all day. I just want him to be well!

An update

This is what it looks like when I leave for a weekend now. This medicine schedule was from a few weeks ago when I spent a Saturday night at my sister's house. It took me at least 30 minutes that morning to get Bailey's medicines, vitamins, and food sorted out and labeled! Thankfully, his grandmother is willing to take care of him and make sure he gets all his meds at the right time. And maybe I'm a little OCD, but I think having everything in the baggies and the schedule make it easier for her. Thanks, Mom!

I haven't updated in a while, probably because I hesitate to put it in writing that Bailey's walking is a lot worse lately. He's having a lot more trouble with his back left leg, knuckling more often than not and stumbling around, especially in the house. He walks much better outside but still has some trouble there. He has been doing well with his exercise walking though, as long as it hasn't rained. He HATES to get his paws wet! He is still in really good spirits and will play with his new toys and ask to be loved on. I borrowed my sister's camcorder and have been getting some video of him that I know I will always be glad to have.

He goes back to the vet Monday for a checkup and so we can switch him from the prednisone to cyclosporine for whatever has been happening on his face. He also desperately needs a nail trim and I'll probably ask for a complete blood panel to check his liver again. He'll have to have a bath this weekend before he goes on Monday and I am NOT looking forward to it. He absolutely hates the bathtub.

I hate this disease.

God, please heal my baby! Watching him decline is ripping my heart out!

Snuggle Bug

Bailey has been so sweet in the mornings lately. At night, he usually waits until I am in bed and will then get on the bed and curl up in the bend of my knees. At some point in the night, he has been rearranging himself so that the back of his head is under my chin and his back is against my stomach. When he wakes up, he will stretch his neck and raise his chin way up to look upside down at me and see if I am awake. I'll scratch his tummy and then stop, hoping he will give me a few more minutes of sleep. He does this over and over again, sometimes rolling to his back, pawing at the air, and vocalizing to make sure I know that he wants to be petted. He did this for about 30 minutes this morning, and it was such a sweet way to wake up . . . even if that extra hour of sleep from the time change didn't happen.